History 579

Devine

Fall 2012

First Analytical Essay Assignment – Option B

INSTRUCTIONS

This essay is due Sunday, November 4th. I prefer you email me the paper as an attachment since this is the best way to ensure that it does not get lost. When you email me, you should also send a copy to yourself on the “cc” line. If you receive the email, it’s likely I did as well. I will send you a confirmation email when I receive your paper. Late essays will be penalized, so please turn your assignment in on time. If you did not turn in Essay #1 Option A, you must turn in this paper. If you did turn in Essay #1 Option A, you may turn in this paper and I will count the higher of the two grades.

HOW LONG SHOULD THE PAPER BE?

Papers MUST be 1500 words and no more than 1900 words.

HOW SHOULD I FORMAT THE PAPER?

• Typed, double-spaced, 12-point font with one-inch margins all around.

• Please number your pages.

• Give your essay a title that indicates what the paper is about. (Something more revealing than “Essay #1”) Clever titles will be duly noted.

• Base your essay entirely on the assigned course reading. You do not have to (nor should you) draw on any outside sources.

HOW DO I CITE?

If you are quoting directly from a source, cite the author and page number in parentheses within the body of the text, i.e. (Hunt, 47). All direct quotes MUST be in quotation marks and must be cited. Paraphrases of ideas drawn from the book MUST also be cited.

HOW WILL I BE GRADED?

You will be graded on:

1) focus (do you have a thesis statement and does it answer the question asked?)

2) evidence (do you back up your argument with specific information from the reading and is the supporting information especially effective in making your case?)

3) coherence (is your argument consistent and understandable throughout the piece?)

4) scope (does your paper deal with the question in appropriate depth and breadth?)

THE ASSIGNMENT

Answer ONE of the following questions:

1. Domestic politics and social or cultural anxieties often drive U.S. foreign policy. Kristin Hoganson argues that the United States went to war in 1898 to solve “domestic problems.” Make a case for what the most significant of these problems were; why they were problems; and what the Spanish-American War and the Philippine Insurrection did (or did not do) to solve them.

[Domestic problems could be economic, cultural, or political – anything from concerns about access to foreign markets to American leaders’ desire to prove their manhood.]

2. Arguably, Woodrow Wilson had a clear vision of what he wished to achieve when he left for Paris to participate in the writing of the Treaty of Versailles. Why did Wilson have such difficulty turning his vision into reality? What impediments did he face? What role did Henry Cabot Lodge play in undermining Wilson’s plans? To what extent did contradictions in Wilson’s own thinking contribute to his difficulties?

[In answering, be sure to address each aspect of the question. You should discuss Congressional opposition to Wilson’s program; the European leaders’ unwillingness to abide by Wilson’s 14 Points; Wilson’s own compromises at Versailles; and, finally, the inconsistency between his words and actions and his ideals and his prejudices. Draw on a variety of course readings to introduce specific evidence that supports your case.]

3. How did the United States exert its economic influence during the interwar period? Why did Washington fail to achieve the international economic stability it sought?

[In answering, keep in mind that U.S. policy could be implemented by both the government and private interests (or the two in concert). Also consider the contradictory nature and unintended consequences of various U.S. policies.]

4. In his essay “The Roosevelt Foreign Policy: An Ambiguous Legacy,” Justus Doenecke acknowledges that Franklin Roosevelt, more so than Stalin or Churchill, was the “architect” of Allied victory in World War II. As such, Doenecke concludes, FDR’s place in history is “secure.” Yet he also finds numerous weaknesses in Roosevelt’s approach to foreign affairs. Mark Stoler’s essay and David Reynolds’ book also provide mixed evaluations of FDR’s conduct of diplomacy.

Drawing on the information in these sources, indicate what you believe were Roosevelt’s greatest strengths and weaknesses as a policy maker. What were his most significant accomplishments and most troubling failures during World War II and the years leading up to the war? Ultimately, do you believe the Roosevelt administration’s shortcomings were attributable more to FDR’s own quirks and character flaws or to circumstances largely outside the President’s control?

[In organizing your essay, be sure you engage both aspects of the question – make the case for your choices of FDR’s most significant pros and cons as a policy maker, but also make the case for what or who is to blame for the shortcomings in US foreign policy during this period.]

5. Most historians agree that the stage was set for a US-Soviet cold war long before the defeat of the Germans in 1945. The fundamental differences between the two systems of government and their conflicting ideologies, geo-political interests, and goals for the postwar world made tensions all but unavoidable. Why was this the case? Why did the leaders of both superpowers – Stalin and FDR (and, to a lesser extent, Truman) – continue to hope the Grand Alliance could be preserved even though, in hindsight, such hopes do not seem realistic? Were they genuine in their expressed desire to preserve the Alliance or just biding their time?

[In answering, the key is to demonstrate why tensions were “all but unavoidable” by introducing specific evidence from the various course readings that shows that the two superpowers were pursuing fundamentally different (and conflicting) agendas. To answer the second part of the question, you need to consider why both FDR and Stalin wished to preserve the Grand Alliance (they may have wished to preserve it for entirely different reasons). In judging whether their stated intentions were genuine, you will need to assess their behavior and the policies they pursued to reach your own conclusion.]